Six dead as migrant boat capsizes near Canary Islands port
MADRID, May 28 (Reuters) - At least six people died when a migrant boat bound for Spain's Canary Islands capsized off the island of El Hierro as rescuers were escorting it to port, regional emergency services said on Wednesday.
The open-topped boat, which according to state broadcaster TVE was laden with around 180 people, went down as it neared La Restinga harbour on El Hierro, the archipelago's smallest island.
A spokesperson for the islands' maritime rescue service said a rescue vessel was escorting the boat to the harbour and as it approached, many of its passengers appeared to rush to one side of the precarious vessel, causing it to capsize.
TVE live footage showed the boat sinking, throwing migrants - including children - into the water, with many trying to clamber onto the nearby maritime rescue vessel as its crew tossed life preservers to them.
A medical helicopter was sent to help emergency personnel pluck migrants from the water, the emergency services said.
The number of migrants reaching the Canary Islands from West Africa hit an all-time high in 2024 but the number of arrivals has fallen this year, Interior Ministry data indicate.
The Atlantic route is especially dangerous as rough weather can easily capsize the fragile rafts, dugout-like boats and dinghies used by most migrants.
In the first five months of 2024, 4,808 people died on the Atlantic voyage to the Canaries after departing from Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia, according to migrant rights group Walking Borders.
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